Posts Tagged: U.S. Supreme Court

Opinion

Time to end the top two primary

Image by Jim Vallee

OPINION – There will be another primary election on Tuesday, and the result will be another indictment of this state’s failed top-two primary experiment. It’s time we go back to a system in which we let voters from all parties — Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Greens – select a candidate in primary elections and then let a battle of contrasting political ideas play out in the fall.

Micheli Files

Canons of statutory construction commonly used in California

Image by Dmitry Demidovich

MICHELI FILES: For purposes of statutory construction, the courts and bill drafters use a series of “canons” to guide them. These include textual canons (intrinsic aids), linguistic presumptions and grammatical conventions, substantive canons, and extrinsic aids. It is impossible to list them all, but there are some common canons, and those are most useful for legislative drafting.

Opinion

High court ruling on Prop. 12 could impact climate, consumers

Pigs confined in cages, prior to slaughtering and processing. (Photo: vinsenssandy, via Sutterstock)

OPINION:  A case before the U.S. Supreme Court — derived from a California ballot measure — could decide the fate of current and future state laws related to the climate crisis, harmful compounds in consumer products, and even the safety of baby food. The case involves Proposition 12, which was passed in landslide fashion in 2018 by 63% of California voters.

News

New laws: California at forefront of health policy innovation

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who recently signed into law major health care-related approved by lawmakers. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP)

When Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom concluded the chaotic legislative year Wednesday — his deadline to sign or veto bills — what emerged wasn’t the sweeping platform he and state lawmakers had outlined at the beginning of the year. But the dozens of health care measures they approved included first-in-the-nation policies to require more comprehensive coverage of mental health and addiction, and thrusting the state into the generic drug-making business.

News

Living with Janus, unions adapt

Demonstrators in New York City on June 27, 2018, protesting the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the Janus case. (Photo: Christopher Penler)

Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s split decision dealing a significant blow to public unions, California union leaders remain optimistic about their ability to stay viable. “We’ve got our work cut out for us, but people understand the value that the union brings to their lives and institutions,” said Matthew Hardy, a spokesperson for the California Federation of Teachers.

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